


Speak

by Christian_at_No



Category: Bleach
Genre: "Mute" Grimmjow, Childhood Friends, Gen, I Don't Even Know, I'm Bad At Summaries, Light Angst, M/M, Memory Loss, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Nell, Traumatic Experience, is it?, it's better than it sounds, kind of an open ending?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-04
Updated: 2018-01-04
Packaged: 2019-02-18 15:52:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13103511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Christian_at_No/pseuds/Christian_at_No
Summary: He doesn't speak. Grimmjow Jaegerjaques, traumatized by a train accident when he was six, is unable to remember his childhood or any aspects of his life. His outlook has been darkened because of this and he's accepted that, but in walks a stranger that pulls at his memory...





	Speak

**Author's Note:**

> Hey hey! I hope you enjoy!

A head of cotton candy blue hair was situated near the back of the room, all of the seats within an arm's reach of him were vacant. Gray eyes stared blankly at an equally gray sky, though at one point they were both a shimmering shade of azure. However, since that day twelve long years ago, everything seemed to be cloaked in a hopeless gray haze. Imagining how things had once been made his scars ache, his chest compress, his throat strain; for things were not as they once were.

That day, he learned what blood looked like, felt like as it dried on his skin, what it smelled like as it filled the enclosed space...what it tasted like as it was coughed up. Helpless as the truck rear-ended the family car, airbags deploying, seat belt locking, being pushed far enough forward for the front of the small car to be situated on the tracks. To be in the way of an oncoming train was terrifying, even more so when the steel beast collided with the fragile framework that embedded itself into the chest of a six year old boy. Forced to stare at sterile walls for months on end afterwards is what gave him his fear of hospitals. When a doctor strolled into the room, sickly sweet smile plastered onto his face to inform him of his parents' tragic passing, it only made the experience worse for him. Suddenly, gray clouded his vision and he couldn't feel his body. Everything felt of pins and needles and his open chest burned as his breath became labored. Horrifying flashbacks stepped to the forefront of his mind, terrorizing him, but he couldn't scream no matter how hard he tried. Clawing at his neck, he'd cursed his clamped throat, drawing blood in his sudden frenzy, finding it impossible to breathe. Silently begging for someone,  _anyone_ to put him out of his misery, kill him quickly and painlessly; he fainted from lack of oxygen. He was diagnosed with PTSD, paranoia, and depression and was sent to live with his estranged aunt.

Quickly growing impatient with him and his silence, she sent him to live with his older half sister, of whom he had never met. Them being eleven years apart in age was a strange and awkward development for her, as she was seventeen and on her lonesome. Upon discovering his trauma-induced handicap, she did her best to teach him some ways of communication -- and learn he did. Thanks to her efforts, he was now fluent in both English and Japanese, though German was supposedly his first language, yet the art of speech still eluded him no matter how hard he tried and he was getting frustrated with himself.

Train of thought derailed by the sudden voice of his teacher, he redirected his attention to where she stood in front of the whiteboard, shocked to see the vibrant splash of color that assaulted his eyes. Why was it so bright? Everything else in sight was gray, where did this _color_ come from and why was it _so bright?_ The color seemed to spread as a strange sense of nostalgia blanketed him in a soft warmth.

His... _condition_ made it rather difficult to remember anything from before the accident, but there was a peculiar feeling at the back of his mind, like a gentle caress at the back of his ever-throbbing skull, soothing the seemingly eternal pain that resided there as a name came to him in a moment of sudden clarity.

Feeling a sudden give in his airway, he took in a deep breath that was much needed and, surprising everyone in the room, he spoke in a voice that was broken from years of silence, that strange name rolling off of his tongue with a startling familiarity.

"...Kurosaki...Ichigo?"

Deafening silence followed, broken by a resounding thud as the blue haired student hit the floor.

* * *

 

When he was younger, he had a friend that was from Germany and fondly dubbed the most egotistical six year old known to man. They were inseparable, so of course they both burst into endless fountains of tears at the news. That insufferable six year old with strikingly blue eyes and hair of a cotton candy hue was returning to Germany due to his father's job. After the child's departure, everything around him held a small reminder of his friend, never allowing him to forget but instead throwing the boy's absence in his face. Seemingly before he could blink, twelve years had passed; in which his mother died of tuberculosis, her weak immune system doing nothing for her, and he found himself moving out of the developing city he'd called home for so long shortly thereafter, reinstating himself in a small suburban town with thoughts of starting anew flitting about his mind.

Whatever plans he had were immediately thwarted when he stepped foot in his new high school for the first time, though he didn't know it at first. The first three weeks of classes had already passed, leaving him behind on his school work. Nervous, he briskly walked to homeroom, horrified by his tardiness and surprised when his well-endowed teacher motioned for him to come into the room with a pleasant smile on her face, reassuring him that all was well and forgiven. Merely a reflex, he scanned the room to see a mass of inquisitive faces among his sea of peers, the exception being a blue haired youth seated towards the back of the room.

Confusion and a hint of fear were slapped into place on the young man's face, gray eyes swirling pools of emotion that were too hard to decipher. Before the teacher could get out a proper introduction for the new student in their midst, gray eyes widened in hazy remembrance and seemed to flash a brilliant azure, almost surprising the student standing by the teacher.

Shocking all but one, a name was formed with a cracked voice, gaining the full attention of the boy to whom the name belonged: "...Kurosaki...Ichigo?"

Silence fell only to be broken moments later by the blue haired youth's collapse, triggering the connection in Ichigo's mind and his eyes went wide with recognition.

"Grimmjow..." Then, in a voice laced with fear, "Grimm!"

Hushed whispers ensued as the panicked ginger turned to the teacher, blubbering some nonsense about the nurse of which she was nearly too shocked to fully understand.

_"He spoke."_

_"The mute talked."_

_"The freak can speak?"_

Those small comments continued as he gnawed on his nails and waited for the nurse to arrive after being summoned by the teacher, who was given strict orders not to move the incapacitated student laid out on the floor.

"Mute" rang in his ears.

* * *

Terrified gray eyes were wide as their mint green haired owner tore through the doors of the high school located on the edge of town. Fear constricted her chest and suffocated her, driving her forward, up to the fourth floor where someone dear to her lay collapsed in his classroom. Hurried footfalls echoed through the halls, drawing attention to the distressed woman as she sprinted by the rooms in the corridor, almost passing her destination before she skidded to a halt.

Nearly breaking the door, she slid it open as fast as possible and screamed the name of her beloved baby brother as loudly as her throat would allow, causing the room to wince at the shrill sound. All attention now on her, she clumsily scampered over to where the cause of her distress lay, the teen looking rather peaceful in the midst of it all. A dark skinned woman with golden eyes reminiscent of a cat kneeled beside the teen currently occupying the floor, her purple tinted hair tied out of the way in the form of a haphazard ponytail. Worrying his lip and murderously clicking a pen behind her, a young man with vibrant orange hair nervously looked on from over the woman's shoulder, hovering.

Questions flooded out of the newcomer's mouth, desperation dripping from her every word, "Are you the nurse? Is my brother okay? Did he hit his head? Do you think he has a concussion? Oh, golly, d-did he faint?"

The nurse nodded her head, resting a hand on the frazzled woman's stiff shoulder. "Don't worry, he's fine." A strange looking smile crossed her face when the student behind her gave her a particularly hard whack. "Well... For the most part." Another fist made contact with her body, lower this time. Turning to the distressed teen behind her, she smiled affectionately and carded a hand through his hair with familiarity, something that calmed him down instantly. "Sorry, Ichi. Aunt Yoruichi's working right now."

Defiantly, Ichigo raised his fist again before letting it fall limp to his side in defeat as he leaned against Yoruichi's sturdy back.

Bringing her attention back to the woman whispering the collapsed boy, the cat-eyed woman's face turned stern. "Does he have any conditions I should know about?"

"N-nothing that wasn't in his file...? Uh..." she muttered, looking uneasy. "N-no physical conditions..."

"Is that all?" Golden eyes flashed as the woman nodded in response. "Ichigo."

Standing, the boy nodded when his aunt motioned fro him to grab the incapacitated student's other arm, bearing half of his dead weight.

Directing her eerie gaze towards the gray eyed woman of whom was catching her breath, Yoruichi smiled wearily. "Would you care to follow us?"

Hauling off the limp student, his sister bringing up the rear, the small group could vaguely hear the sound of class resuming as they made their way to the elevator. Yoruichi briefly allowed Ichigo to bear the full weight of the unconscious boy as she retrieved the elevator key.

Once inside, Ichigo spoke to the nurse, "Yoruichi?"

She hummed absent-mindedly in answer.

"Do you think this is my fault?"

At that remark, gray eyes widened and ears perked for any available information on this new subject.

Finely trimmed brows set themselves into a worried line as golden eyes gazed upon their owner's nephew with worry. "What do you mean?"

He hesitated for a moment before answering, "He said my name before he passed out and...and I didn't recognize him at first..."

Their bystander was stunned by the words escaping the young man's mouth. He doesn't speak, and for Grimm to remember anything from before the accident was out of the question, so how...?

Stern gold orbs met wide, doe-like mocha, making the fourth person in the cramped space feel awkward for intruding on the family moment.

"Kurosaki Ichigo, you better listen to me: this is not your fault. It was _never_ your fault. None of it," she whispered. "It's been twelve years... No one would blame you if you forgot," she continued with a smile. "Not even this egotistical-"

The elevator doors opened onto the first floor, cutting her off mid-insult.

Sighing, she readjusted the blue haired teens arm over her shoulder before she stepped out of the elevator. "C'mon. Let's get this poor sucker laid down, yeah?"

Stunned, the nearly forgotten woman with disbelieving gray eyes followed behind them slowly.

* * *

 

He could feel soft, cool fingers move against the skin of his forehead in a soothing manner, urging him to rest after the barrage of memories that had assaulted his brain had finally decided to calm down and give him peace of mind. However, there was a dull, throbbing ache along the right side of his body that he could not ignore, bringing him towards consciousness despite the gentile movements of that comforting hand on his skin, to the point where he could hear the muffled voices of those around him. The first thing to be noticed by his groggy mind was that his head was resting on someone's lap, and the voice above him was soothing -- warm and welcoming -- making him unconsciously nuzzle into the person's torso with a quiet hum of appreciation. Perhaps if he feigned sleep, they would allow him to stay within this comfort forever? That thought was further enforced when those same cool fingers carded through his unruly blue locks, inciting a purr that rolled up his throat with an ease that he had been previously unfamiliar with.

His sister's laugh rang through the silence like a silver bell. "He's never done that before," she snickered.

A hum sounded from above him as those fingers continued combing through his hair affectionately, a strangely familiar sensation. "When we were younger, he would get tired easily on hot days and we would find a nice place to sit and rest. Sometimes we would talk, but he would fall asleep most days. We always ended up exactly like this..."

As the voice spoke, memories of himself in similar situations bubbled to the surface of his mind.  _How could I forget, Berry Boy?_

"Oh, you're awake after all?"

Hissing at being caught, he risked a glance upwards and momentarily saw double. One Ichigo was younger, looking at him with soft surprise and pink cheeks, doe-eyes wide; the other had his hack-job of a haircut like a crown of autumn leaves around his face, illuminated like a halo by the fluorescent lights in the nurse's office, a look of subtle curiosity on his face.

"...Beautiful..." he breathed.

The young man above him blinked in disbelief, cheeks beginning to tint pink. In truth, he was enjoying his own view of of the boy resting on his lap. A strong jaw line, a scar above his brow, stubborn strands of blue, refusing to stay out of his face, falling just above a pair of gray eyes that faded to a bright azure as Ichigo watched.

Forgotten, the green haired woman silently stood so as not to ruin the moment the two were sharing.


End file.
